Faucet spout assemblies are widely used in households, industry, scientific laboratories, hospitals, etc. It is desired in some settings that faucet spouts of different configurations be available for use with a single faucet fixture. This raises a problem of how to economically achieve interchangeability of spouts
Others have approached this problem as follows. According to Baker U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,810 an easy connect and disconnect faucet spout assembly is disclosed which can be mounted and removed in a quick and easy manner with a minimum of tools or operations, and without disassembling the faucet spout assembly or the water supply lines. At the same time, a spout assembly, according to the Baker patent, is comprised of a number of parts, some of which have a complicated shape. Moreover, each spout must be equipped with a special spout-mounting plate so interchangeability of spouts is expensive and requires a large parts inventory.
Another approach to providing adjustable spouts of varying heights in a faucet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,138. This patent describes a height adjustable spout with a spigot-clamping member that is used to sealingly locate the spout at the desired height on the faucet This apparatus, however, has the distinct disadvantage of having a clamp handle extending into the useable space over the basin. This would not be commercially acceptable because of poor aesthetics and the collection of mold and bacteria on the clamp.
Another problem with commonly used spout assemblies is the location of outlet devices used to soften the flow of water out of the spout They are typically located at the outlet of the spout. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,884,596; 5,108,606; 5,165,121; 5,242,119. Such devices—aerators, flow regulators and stream straighteners which are sometimes collectively referred to as laminar flow devices—serve as a trap, and consequently collector, for various germs and dirt because of their location at the spout outlet This problem is particularly acute in hospitals and health care facilities which must be particularly wary of areas where viruses like staphylococcus can take hold At the same time, it is difficult to abandon such spout end attachments in most applications because most faucet users demand a soft, non-splashing flow of water from a faucet spout.